When Dan Slott ended his monumental run on Amazing Spider-Man with issue #801, Nick Spencer took over. The series relaunched its issue numbering but continued the story where Slott's run left off. Slott's run featured some pretty epic, grand-scale stories like "Spider-Island," "Spider-verse," "Ends of the Earth," and who could forget the whole "Superior" Saga?
Spencer's run seemed to put Spidey's boots back on the ground with stories that focused more on Peter. The first story arc, which saw Peter and Spider-Man split into two different people offered a great psychological analysis of what makes the character. However, the arcs and creative decisions that followed have divided fans. Some love the direction Spencer took the series, while others feel many narrative choices were the wrong ones for the character.
10 Great: The Menacing Kindred
At first glance, Kindred looks more like a Batman villain than a Spider-Man villain. He looks like he could give Scarecrow a run for his money, which he proves over the course of 75 issues as he torments Peter and his loved ones, haunting their dreams and demonstrating immense power.
His first appearance at the end of issue #1 during Mysterio's trial, illustrated by Humberto Ramos, is freaky and chilling. His design is frightening, with bandages over what could be a rotting face beneath, a tattered trench coat, and centipedes and other insects mimicking his every move. By sheer introduction, visual, and presence, Kindred is one of Spidey's most fearsome foes to date.
9 Not Great: A Buildup That Dragged On Too Long
While the introduction and subsequent appearances of Kindred solidified him as a terrifying, extremely powerful villain, who was unlike anything readers had seen in Spider-Man comics, the buildup of anticipation as to who and what Kindred really was just dragged on for far too long. A mystery needs time to grow and gain traction, of course. However, when Amazing Spider-Man #25 was giant-sized, fans assumed they'd find out who Kindred was.
When the reveal didn't come, readers assumed they'd get that answer in issue #50, then in legacy issue #850. However, there was still no concrete answer. Over 80 issues after Kindred's reveal (counting the tie-in issues), Kindred's identity and motives were finally revealed. But by then, the allure of the character had somewhat faded.
8 Great: Black Cat & Peter's Resolution
Leading up to Spencer's run, Felicia Hardy had seemingly returned to a life of crime. After Peter's deal with Mephisto and his request to Doctor Strange to make everyone forget Peter Parker is Spider-Man, Felicia and he lost their connection. This had been something that irked fans for a while as it undid much of Black Cat's growth.
In Amazing Spider-Man #10, Spencer sat Spider-Man and Black Cat down and gave readers a conversation they'd been waiting to see. Felicia vented her frustration of not remembering who Spider-Man was, so Peter revealed his identity to her. It was a touching scene that rekindled a feeling of connection and friendship they'd been missing for a while.
7 Not Great: Lots Of Filler Arcs
Spencer's run felt a little bit like a 22 episode network superhero TV show. There was the main villain who shined in their spotlight episodes/issues. But it felt like the creative team had a certain predetermined number of issues to fill, so Kindred's mystery was dragged out.
In the meantime, story arcs like the "2099" and "Absolute Carnage" arcs felt very out of place. The book kept presenting so many promises of who Kindred was and what he wanted, while also purposely keeping anything Kindred related to the background. Instead, it focused on stories completely unrelated to what was constantly built up as the main story of the run.
6 Great: Spencer Was Joined By Amazing Artists
The Amazing Spider-Man comic book has been blessed with spectacular artist after artist. One of the reasons many of Slott's story arcs are so memorable is that they looked so beautiful. Ryan Ottley joined the Spidey crew for the first time and brought insane levels of detail from his Invincible series to Spider-Man. Humberto Ramos frequently returned to the series, and his exaggerated posing and posturing felt tailor-made for the Wall-Crawler.
Another newcomer to the series was Patrick Gleason. Best known for his work on Green Lantern and Superman, Gleason delivered some of the best-looking issues during the "2099" and "Last Remains" arcs. His Spider-Man suit was bold and his Kindred design was frightening.
5 Not Great: Peter Was Rarely The Star Of His Own Book
Spider-Man's supporting cast is integral to the character's longevity as Peter himself. Every person in Peter's life shapes who he and Spider-Man are and why they do what they do. Spencer's run featured a large supporting cast like Boomerang, Randy Robertson, and Gog. (Yes, Gog).
On the one hand, it was nice to see these characters from time to time, but on the other, they often upstaged Peter in his own book. Entire issues would be dedicated to a specific character that wasn't Peter. This could be forgiven if not for the fact that Peter's own internal monologues were rarely presented. This run focused so much on spectacle that Peter's thoughts and day-to-day life were rarely explored.
4 Great: The Lovable Boomerang
Fred Myers (aka Boomerang) joined the Amazing Spider-Man book as a recurring cast member, joining Spider-Man on his adventures and Peter Parker as his new, annoying roommate. Boomerang brought much-needed levity to the series, especially while most of the Kindred-centric issues were very dour.
Boomerang's character arc actually began in the series The Superior Foes of Spider-Man, also written by Nick Spencer. That book saw Boomerang leading a not-so-Sinister Six. Boomerang's arc, over the course of both Superior Foes and Amazing Spider-Man, is well executed and quite endearing. Spider-Man slowly teaches Boomerang how to be a hero.
3 Not Great: Not Enough Mary Jane
Nick Spencer's run opens with Peter (in his black suit) and Mary Jane atop the Empire State Building. It's a homage to their wedding issue in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21. While it turns out to be a dream, it promises big things for the run to come, reinforced by Kindred's grand entrance at the end of the premiere issue.
The problem is that the run features very little of MJ. She's absent from the Amazing title as she stars in her own, short-lived series Amazing Mary Jane. All signs were pointing toward some kind of resolution to the "One More Day/Brand New Day" story arcs. And while MJ does return in the climax of Kindred's assault, her presence was sorely missed in the 50 issues leading up to it.
2 Great: Retconned An Infamous Story Arc
Fans don't want to talk about Sins Past. And if they do want to talk about it, it's usually to reiterate the harm that story does to Spider-man's supporting cast. The story was just unnecessary and messy. Spider-Man learns of two children of Gwen Stacy's, biologically aged up to adults. They seek out Peter for revenge, believing him to be their father.
The horrifying truth is that their father is actually Norman Osborn, meaning before Gwen's death, she and Norman had an affair. The story just felt wrong. As if Peter needed more reasons to hate Norman. In Nick Spencer's run, the whole affair was revealed to be nothing more than an illusion concocted by Mysterio.
1 Not Great: The Payoff Was Overly Confusing
For 70 issues, Kindred's identity and motives were teased. Readers received the odd little clue here and there but were largely left to come to their own conclusions about who Kindred was and how he existed. When the final few issues of Nick Spencer's run hit the comic stands, many fans were left confused.
Kindred's whole backstory is quite a mess, leading to many Twitter and Reddit threads explaining the timeline of events that involves "Sins Past," "Brand New Day," "Legacy of Evil," and even more unseen Mephisto meddling behind the scenes. The Kindred mystery was a long one that ultimately ended in an unsatisfying conclusion.